Morning sickness refers to the nausea and vomiting that some women have when they become pregnant. It is caused by the sudden increase in hormones during pregnancy. Although morning sickness is more common in the morning, it can occur at anytime of the day or night.
Morning Sickness
What is morning sickness?
How long will morning sickness last?
Morning sickness is very common early in a pregnancy. It tends to go away later in pregnancy, and it's almost always gone by the second trimester (after 13 weeks, or the fourth month). But there isn't a set time for it to stop because each woman is different, and each pregnancy is different.
Will morning sickness hurt my baby?
Morning sickness can only become a problem for your baby if you can't keep any foods or fluids down and begin to lose a lot of weight. You should call your doctor if you:
- Have lost more than 2 pounds
- Vomit blood (which can appear bright red or black)
- Have vomited more than 4 times in 1 day
- Have not been able to keep fluids down for more than 1 day
Tips to relieve morning sickness
The tips below may help reduce morning sickness:
- Eat small meals throughout the day so that you're never too full or too hungry.
- Avoid rich, spicy, greasy or fatty foods.
- Avoid foods with smells that bother you or make you nauseous.
- Eat more carbohydrates (plain baked potato, white rice or dry toast).
- Eat bland foods when you feel nauseous (such as saltine crackers, gelatin desserts such as Jell-O, popsicles, chicken broths, ginger ale and pretzels).
- The iron in prenatal vitamins can bother some women. If you think your morning sickness is related to your vitamins, talk with your doctor and he or she may change your vitamins.
- Before getting out of bed in the morning, eat a few saltine crackers to calm your stomach.
- Wearing "acupressure" wrist bands, which are sometimes used by passengers on boats to prevent sea sickness, may help some women who have morning sickness. You can buy the bands at drugstores, boating stores or travel agencies.
If these tips don't provide some relief from morning sickness, talk to your doctor. Keep in mind that morning sickness does not mean your baby is sick.
Other Organizations
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Revolution Health Pregnancy Community
http://www.revolutionhealth.com/community-overview/pregnancy
Source
Written by familydoctor.org editorial staff.
American Academy of Family Physicians
Reviewed/Updated: 04/08
Created: 09/00